The election of 2016 in the United States is a historic one, to say the least. The current tenor of politics in the country is extremely divisive and unpredictable. Now the largest voting demographic, the Millennials, will have a very significant responsibility and impact in the results of this election.
It’s no secret that large numbers of young voters favored Bernie Sanders, but with him officially out of the race and the “Bernie or Bust” and “Never Hillary” movements gaining attention, some Democrats worry third party votes or the refusal to vote in the 2016 election could ensure a Trump victory in November.
So what do Clinton and Trump have to do to appeal to Millennials?
According to Forbes, Millennials lean farther to the Left of their parents, the Baby Boomers. Thankfully for the Republicans that support Trump and want to win the White House, their candidate is not extremely conservative on social issues, which could be helpful with the younger demographic.
Not only that, the article also mentions authenticity as a significant characteristic desired in a candidate by this generation and one Clinton has been described as lacking.
While both candidates have been accused of being untrustworthy in the media, Trump supporters famously describe him as “telling it like it is” and some actually subscribe to his banter as being similar to Sanders, worrying some on the Left.
In addition, Millennials believe a thriving job market and affordable rent and home prices are the most important factors when choosing a city to live according to ABODO’s “Living the Millennial Dream“.
That being said, to appeal to the Bernie crowd, Trump and Clinton are going to have to outline their policies on job creation and income inequality so Millennials feel as though their concerns are being addressed equally.
Famously, Trump spouts that he’ll be the “greatest jobs president God ever created” without spelling out the ways he’ll do that and Clinton recently proposed a plan to bring back manufacturing jobs and extend collective bargaining rights. Bernie Sanders appealed particularly to the issues affecting young people, such as low wage and contract jobs, growing debt because of student loans, and a rising standard of living.
Clinton has jumped on Bernie’s bandwagon with a few of these issues, namely student debt relief and tuition free public college, but according to polls, she’ll have to do more to win his supporters.
One of the largest barriers to securing the Millennial vote this election season may also come because of significant differences in the values of the age groups. Trump and Clinton are early Baby Boomers themselves, with both being in their seventies.
The ABODO study shows hiking trails and parks and local (non-chain) restaurants as their third and fourth priorities, respectively, in choosing a city to live.
Donald Trump has mentioned abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency, which does not bode well with Millennials as you could imagine. However, Clinton doesn’t offer much in relation to the values of the younger generation of voters either. A former senator from New York, she has been accused of being too close to Wall Street and out of touch with blue collar workers.
Considering Millennials’ involvement in the “Occupy” movements across the country, having close ties to their original target only works against her. With Bernie Sanders out of the race, a large number of young voters are up for grabs – it’s up to Trump and Clinton now to prove themselves in touch with the concerns of the generation that will inherit his or her legacy.
